Machine for polishing cans, pails, and the like



.A. NELSEN.

MACHINE FOR POLISHING CANS, PAILS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-2.1920.

1,365,717. Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. NELSEN.

MACHINE FOR POLISHING CANS. PAILS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FlLED AU. G.2, 1920.

[04 0/02 f ///z(// z a 156W. W)? I m PM '7 I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

NQWN

ANDREW NELSEN, or cnIcAeo, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR POLISHING CANS, PAILS, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

Application filed August 2, 1920. Serial No. 400,686. in

1 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW NELsnN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Polishing Cans, Pails, and the like, "of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates tomachines for bufiing and polishing the exterior surfaces of metal cans and pails, being adapted to handle the latter either with or Without the usual bails.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient machine for the purpose stated, wherein all the operations, except feeding the cans or pails to the machine, are automatic. Another object is to provide a machine of the character stated capable, with slight adjustment, of handling cans and pails of considerably varying sizes.

Still other objects and advantages of the machine will be apparent to those skilled in the art as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated one practical embodiment of the invention and in which Figure 1 is a delivery end elevation of the machine as viewed from the right of Fig. 2, with the supporting legs of the frame broken off Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, broken out between its ends and more particularly showing the feed conveyer and the means for guiding and controlling the conveyor flights.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates as an entirety the upper frame work of the machine which is of generally rectangular form and is supported on four legs 6. 7 des- I ignates each of a pair of horizontal crossbars at the two ends of the frame, these cross-bars supporting bearings 8 in which are journaled a pair of horizontal rollers 9 that extend the full length of the machine, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Two of the corner uprights of the frame 5 are grooved on their inner sides as shown in Fig. 2, and between the ends of the frame are a similar pair of uprights 5' that are similarly grooved on their inner sides. Fitted to slide 1n and between the uprights of each pair are cross-heads 10, in and between which are ournale'd a pair of shafts 11 on which are keyed a pair of opposed bufling or polishing rolls 12. The cross heads 10 are centrally apertured n a vertical direction to receive ad usting bolts 13 swiveled therein, said bolts extending upwardly through similar apertures in a pair of cross-bars 5 (Fig. 1) and provlded on their upper threaded portions with adjustin nuts 14:. By turning the nuts 14% in one direction or the other the heads 10 carrying the buifing and polishing rolls can be adjusted up and down in an obvious manner. The two rolls 12 are drlven in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2, for which purpose the shaft 11 of one of the rolls is provided with a driving pulley 15, while the same shaft, at its opposite end, is geared to the companion shaft 11 by a train of gears 16, 17, 18 and 19, as shown in Fig. 1, the. intermediate gears 17 and 18 being jour' naled in the adjustable head 10 so as to partake of the verticaladjustments of the rolls themselves.

Secured to one end of the head 10 is a forwardly extending bearing bracket 20, in which is journaled a hollow shaft section 21 carrying at its upper end a worm gear 22 that meshes with and is driven by a worm 23 fast on the outer end of one of the shafts 11. The tubular shaft section 21 has a splined telescoping engagement with another shaft section 2 1, which latter is journaled in a bracket 25, secured to one of the corner uprights of the frame. On the lower end of shaft section 24 is keyed a bevel gear 26 which meshes with and drives a mating gear 27 fast on one end of a horizontal shaft 28, which latter is supported in bearings 29 secured to the cross-bar 7 Keyed on the shaft 28 are a pair of spiral gears 30 which are drivingly engaged with mating spiral gears 31 keyed on the ends of the spindles of the rollers 9, whereby said rollers are both driven in the same direction and at equal speeds.

intervals lengthwise of the latter, and each of said flights is formed with a tail-piece 34 carrying at its free end a laterally extending pin 35. This pin 35 engages with a guide groove or channel 36 that extends parallel With and slightly below the upper lap of the conveyer chain 33. The guide groove 36 extends around the axis of the conveyer sprocket at the receiving end of the machine, as shown in Fig. 3, and is formed with a widened flaring mouth 86 adapted to receive the pin .35 as the downwardly hanging flight on the lower lap of the conveyer rounds the sprocket at the receiving end, and thereby guide the flight into its Working position to push the cans or pails through the machine, as shown in the upper portion of Fig. 3. The guide groove or channel 36 terminates abruptly at the delivery end of the machine at a point approximately in the vertical plane of the shaft 28, as shown at 36 in Fig. 3.

In the operation of the machine the attendant stands at the rear or receiving end, which is the left end as shown in Fig. 2, and places the cans or pails, indicated at C .in Fig. l successively on the long rollers 9.

The can is at once rota-ted on its own axis by friction with the rotating rollers 9, and as soon as the upper end of the flight 34 engages with the rear end of the can it is pushed endwise, while still rotating, into the field of action of the bufling rolls 12 by which its exterior surface is polished. It will be observed that since the bufling rollers turn in opposite directions, their rotating effects are neutralized, and the can or pail continues to turn while passing through the field of action of the rolls, so that it is polished throughout its entire circumference. After passing the bufling rolls, the can or pail is pushed off the delivery end of the conveyer into any suitable receptacle.

By elevating the bufling rolls 12, larger cans or pails than the one herein shown may be handled and similarly by lowering the bufling rolls, smaller cans or pails may be handled. The machine is thus adapted to handle varying sizes within comparatively wide limits.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combinationof a frame, a pair of parallel horizontal rollers journal ed on said frame, a pair of bufting'rolls journaled on said frame above said rollers, means for turning said rollers in the same direction of rotation, means for turning said buffing rolls in opposite directions of rotation, and

means for causingthe articles to be polished to travel endwise on said rollers past said buffing rolls.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frame, a pair of parallel horizontal rollers ournaled on said frame, a pair of bufiing rolls journaled on said frame above said rollers on axes parallel with the axes of the latter, means for turning said rollers in the same direction of rotation, means for turning said butting rolls in opposite directions of rotation, and a conveyor between said rollers operative to push the articles to be polished endwise along said rollers past said bufling rolls.

3. Ina machine of the character described. the combination of a frame, a pair of parallel horizontal rollers journaled on said frame, a pair of bufling rolls jonrnaled on said frame'above said rollers on axes paral lel with the axes of the latter, means for adjusting said buffing rolls bodily toward and from said rollers, means for turning said rollers in the same direction of rotation. means for turning said bailing rolls in opposite directions of rotation, and means for pushing the articles to be polished endwise along said rollers past said butting rolls.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frame, a pair of parallel horizontal rollers journaled on said frame, a pair of bufling rolls journaled on said frame above said rollers on axes parallel with the axes of the latter, means for adjusting said buffing rolls bodily toward and from said rollers, means for driving said rollers in the same direction, means for driving said bufiing rolls in opposite directions, and an endless conveyor chain extending between said rollers and carrying pusher-fingers adapted to push the articles to be polished endwise along said rollers past said bufling rolls.

5. In a machine of the character described,

the combination of a frame, a pair of parallel horizontal rollers journaled on said frame, means for driving said rollers in the same direction, said rollers constituting both a support and a rotating agent for a cylindrical article to be polished, means for pushing said article endwise along said rollers, a pair of vertically adjustable cross-heads slidably engaged with vertical members of said frame, a pair of parallel. bufling rolls journaled in and between said cross-heads, and means for driving said bufiing rolls in opposite directions of rotation.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a substantially rectangular upright frame, a pair of pa allel horizontal rollers journaled on and lengthwise of said frame, said rollers turning in the same direction and constituting both a support and a rotating agent for a cylindrical object to be polished, a pair of vertically adjustable cross-heads slidably engaged with vertical members of said frame, means for suspending and bodily adjustin said crossheads from top members of said frame, a. pair of parallel buliing rolls journaled in and till lift] between said cross-heads, means for driving said bufiing rolls in opposite directions of rotation, and means for advancing the articles to be olished endwise on said rollers and ast said buflin rolls.

7. n a machine 0 the character described, the combination of a substantlally rectangular u right frame, a pair of parallel horizonta rollers journaled' on and lengthwiseof said frame and, constitutin both a supporting and a rotating agent or a cylindrical object to be polished, a air of verticall adjustable cross-heads slidably engaged wit vertical members of said frame, a pair of screw-bolts swiveled in said cross-heads and extendin through apertures in top members of said rame, adjusting nuts on the upper ends of said screw-bolts, a pair of parallel buffin rolls journaled in and between said crosseads, means for driving said bufling rolls in opposite directions of rotation, means for driving said rollers in the same direction of rotation, and means for advancing the articles to be polished endwise on said rollers and ast said bufiing rolls.

8. na machine of the character described, the combination of a substantially rectangular upright frame, a pair of parallel horizontal rollers journaled on and lengthwise of said frame and constitutin both a supporting and a rotating agent or a cylindrical object to be polished, a pair of;parallel bufiing rolls journaled in said frame above said roller's, means for adjusting saidbufiing rolls bodily toward and from said rollers, and driving connections from one of said bufiing rolls to said rollers, said driving con nections bein extensible to permit vertical adjustment 0 said bufiin rolls.

9. In a machine ofthe c aracter described, the combination of a substantially rectangular upright frame, a pair of parallel horizontal rollers journaled on and lengthwise of said frame and constituting both a supporting and rotatin agent for a cylindrical object to be polished, a conveyer extending between said rollers equipped with pusher-fingers adapted to force articles to be polished lengthwise of said rollers, a pair of parallel buffing rolls journaled in said frame above said rollers, means for ad'usting said bufiing rolls bodily toward an from said rollers, and gearing connecting one of said bufiing rolls to said rollers and conve er, said gearing including a pair of extensible telescopin shaft sections, whereb to permit vertica adjustment of said bu 11 rolls.

ANDREW N LSEN. 

